By Sian Shin
“It’s a pretty amazing and special thing that we have the ability to express ourselves in so many different ways. There are so many wonderful side effects of having some type of artistic outlet!” – Jennifer DeGeer
Growing up in small town Ontario, Ms. DeGeer spent her childhood as an adventurer, constantly exploring the woods and playing games with her four siblings. It was when she moved to Cobourg to attend Trinity College School in Port Hope in eighth grade that Ms. DeGeer met our headmaster Mr. Wright! Small world…
After graduating from Trinity College School, Ms. DeGeer went on to study at McGill University and later moved to New York to attain her master’s degree at NYU. Then, after graduating from NYU, Ms. DeGeer decided to leave the Big Apple for Vancouver, and found that this was exactly where she wanted to be. As she puts it, “Nowhere else do I get to have the mountains for a backyard and the ocean for a swimming hole!”
Moving forward to the present, Ms. DeGeer is now a grade three teacher at Collingwood School. When she is not inspiring her students with her passion and creativity, Ms. DeGeer loves to go back to her roots of adventuring in the woods, as she loves to camp and hike.
When not on her adventures in nature, Ms. DeGeer is engaged in the adventures of art through the practices of photography, painting, crafting, and making costumes. Within these artistic worlds, she experiences a sense of therapy and allows herself to be completely immersed in the creative act: “When I’m really into an art piece, it seems the craziness of life just fades away for a while and I am completely at peace.” It is precisely when this escapism occurs that her unique individual energies flow out in her art.
Growing up in small town Ontario, Ms. DeGeer spent her childhood as an adventurer, constantly exploring the woods and playing games with her four siblings. It was when she moved to Cobourg to attend Trinity College School in Port Hope in eighth grade that Ms. DeGeer met our headmaster Mr. Wright! Small world…
After graduating from Trinity College School, Ms. DeGeer went on to study at McGill University and later moved to New York to attain her master’s degree at NYU. Then, after graduating from NYU, Ms. DeGeer decided to leave the Big Apple for Vancouver, and found that this was exactly where she wanted to be. As she puts it, “Nowhere else do I get to have the mountains for a backyard and the ocean for a swimming hole!”
Moving forward to the present, Ms. DeGeer is now a grade three teacher at Collingwood School. When she is not inspiring her students with her passion and creativity, Ms. DeGeer loves to go back to her roots of adventuring in the woods, as she loves to camp and hike.
When not on her adventures in nature, Ms. DeGeer is engaged in the adventures of art through the practices of photography, painting, crafting, and making costumes. Within these artistic worlds, she experiences a sense of therapy and allows herself to be completely immersed in the creative act: “When I’m really into an art piece, it seems the craziness of life just fades away for a while and I am completely at peace.” It is precisely when this escapism occurs that her unique individual energies flow out in her art.
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It is always important to ask, where did the artist’s artistic passion take root? Ms. DeGeer’s roots not only in art, but also in life itself, are the enormous influence of her grandmother, Gummy: “She is a true example of art imitating life.” Ms. DeGeer recounts that the very first carving Gummy made for her was of a young girl riding a unicorn to her castle in the sky – truly magical. Perhaps the most magical part, says Ms. DeGeer, is that “whenever she sits down to carve, she knows who she is carving for. Her love for that person shines through and makes her art something truly amazing.”
It is evident that this artistic magic with which her grandmother surrounded her inspired Ms. DeGeer to create an artistic magic of her own through her various artistic abilities – in particular, crafting and creating costumes. She values the exploration of a variety of artistic outlets, anything from dance to sculpting.
The biggest advice that Ms. DeGeer would give to other young aspiring artists is to “trust yourself, and don’t afraid of making mistakes; sometimes, they become the most beautiful pieces of art!”
Ms. DeGeer believes that “art is a fantastic way to explore yourself and the world around you.” Finally, when asked about her future aspirations as an artist, she echoed her view of the role of art in her life: “I would like to continue to explore: to be inspired by experience, to create, and to have fun with it!”
It is evident that this artistic magic with which her grandmother surrounded her inspired Ms. DeGeer to create an artistic magic of her own through her various artistic abilities – in particular, crafting and creating costumes. She values the exploration of a variety of artistic outlets, anything from dance to sculpting.
The biggest advice that Ms. DeGeer would give to other young aspiring artists is to “trust yourself, and don’t afraid of making mistakes; sometimes, they become the most beautiful pieces of art!”
Ms. DeGeer believes that “art is a fantastic way to explore yourself and the world around you.” Finally, when asked about her future aspirations as an artist, she echoed her view of the role of art in her life: “I would like to continue to explore: to be inspired by experience, to create, and to have fun with it!”
